Man facing charges in the brutal attack and sexual assault of a woman in a alleyway
An Arizona man facing charges in the brutal attack and sexual assault of a woman in a alleyway has now been linked to a murder in the same area last summer.
On August 14, 2025, 24-year-old Luis Gustavo Prudente Tapia was arrested in connection with a violent assault that left a woman critically injured on along 44th Street north of Oak Street in Phoenix, Arizona. The woman suffered multiple broken bones and other injuries, and police believe she was attacked at random.
Now, police say detectives have named Tapia as a suspect in a woman’s murder that happened in the same alley, not far from the most recent attack, on June 13, 2024. Police responded and found an unresponsive woman suffering from a head injury.
The victim, 64-year-old Margie New, died at the hospital about a week later.
DNA evidence was collected during the homicide investigation, but no match was found in the system. But when DNA evidence collected after last month’s attack was run through the system, police say it matched the previous case.
Tapia is facing multiple felony charges on the most recent attack, including attempted second-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and four counts of aggravated assault. Charges in the 2024 investigation are pending.
A forensic expert reportedly goes into detail about how Phoenix police built a DNA profile for an unknown murder suspect that police say was linked to a rape suspect.
“The success of these cases is shared with our community, who spoke up against a violent offender who was victimizing members of our community,” the Phoenix Police Dept. said in a news release. “These cases also highlight the outstanding work and collaboration between our patrol officers, detectives, crime scene investigators, and the forensic crime lab staff.”
